


We'll Never Forget

by LifezVictory



Series: Inhabitants [2]
Category: Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion
Genre: Alternate Universe, Backstory, Bullying, Canonical Character Death, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gen, He also has badass powers, Hugs, Manipulation, Mind Control, Monster 5 (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion) Is Very Evil, Nightmares, POV Alternating, POV First Person, Platonic Cuddling, Plotholes are required for ventilation, Redemption, Self-Insert, Some Non-Consensual Hugs, Some angst, Specimen 11 (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion) has a beef addiction, Specimen 9 (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion) has his body, The Demon Child (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion) is a cinnamon roll
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LifezVictory/pseuds/LifezVictory
Summary: So, we did it. Taker and I managed to stop Spooky, and all the ghosts and specimens are pretty much free. Except something is stopping her from moving to the afterlife, and we don't know what it is. Fortunately Taker has found a lead, and you know what that means! Creepy abandoned hospitals, mysterious backstories, and a new friend! Oh boy!
Relationships: Monster 5 & Spooky (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion), Original Female Character(s) & Specimen 9 (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion), Original Non-Binary Character & Spooky (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion), Spooky & Spooky's Father & Spooky's Mother (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion), The Demon Child & Specimen 9 (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion), The Demon Child & Specimen 9 (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion) & Original Female Character(s), The Demon Child (Spooky's Jump Scare Mansion) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: Inhabitants [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1753864
Comments: 14
Kudos: 10
Collections: The Gen Sub Hub





	1. In Which Mom Gets A Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> Alrighty! It has been a hot minute since I've written for this series, but this chapter of the sequel has been in progress since I was writing the first fic in this series, and now it's finally ready to be published! Yay! Let's do this!

Turmoil. That's all she had felt since she could remember anything, pain and fear and confusion. But now, something seemed to give. A light at the end of the tunnel, a ray of hope. Had something changed above? She would need to figure this out.

* * *

I yawn, stretch, and slowly open my eyes. The light shining through my bedroom windows is extra bright this morning. I go to pull the blankets off myself and get out of bed, then freeze.

This isn't my room! This isn't my bed! Oh my gosh, where am I?! I wrap my arms around myself, taking deep breaths. Now that I look at my surroundings they do seem kinda familiar, although a teeny bit hazy... Oh, yeah! I remember now! I take a moment to mentally go through what happened last night. This morning? Whatever.

* * *

This might sound hard to believe, but life was pretty much normal for me since I'd returned from the mansion. Well, besides the extra schoolwork I had to make up from missing a few days, and being held as a local celebrity after being the first one to come out of that place alive and well. Although I knew that wouldn't last long since no one, not even the most idealistic of people believed me about what was going down there. Well, except for one person.

My mom made a promise when I was born. She swore that she would never lie to me about anything, and always answer honestly. She also promised to believe me, as long as I didn't give her a reason not to. When I finally managed to start explaining what happened, she listened very carefully and reacted in all the wright places. "You were very reckless to just barge into a place like that!" She scolded once I'd finished. "We knew that place was dangerous, but that? ... But, what you did probably saved hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives. You were really brave and I am so proud of you! you're still grounded though."

Even though she said this with a playful smile, I knew she was serious. I pretended to be upset, but in all actuality I wasn't too mad. After having such a long and intense adventure away from home, all I wanted to do was lay around the house for a while. And even though I couldn't go anywhere but school unless it was with her, Mom didn't stop me from playing video games, posting fanfiction, and writing letters to my friends, namely Taker.

Ah, Taker. Even though my life hadn't changed much, his certainly did. He was at the top of the food chain, leader of the pack. And he'd made a lot of changes to the way the mansion was run. He'd made changes to the layout of the mansion so it was more comfortable for everyone, and changed the "Specimen Database" to the "Inhabitant Database" which I am a part of! Inhabitant 1! Ohh, how I love the sound of that! If I didn't know Taker saw me as a good friend before, I definitely do now. Although it makes me wonder why he kept his position as 9... meh, I'm sure he has his reasons.

I'll never forget the exchange I had with the mailman the first time I wrote a letter to Taker. "Uh, kid, Are you sure you wrote the write address on this letter?"

"Yup, absolutely!"

"But that's the adress of the abandoned mansion on the mountain."

"And the place I want to send my letter. I don't see what the problem is, sir."

"...You know what? Fine. I'll send the letter there. But don't expect to get a reply."

The look on that guy's face when I got a reply no more than a day later was priceless! I could tell he was barely restraining himself from opening it. He didn't, thankfully, and Taker and I's conversations could remain between, well, Taker and I. Eventually the mailman seemed to grow numb to what was, to him, a weird and mysterious exchange, but I hoped Taker could get some wifi set up in the mansion soon somehow so we could switch to emails or something.

We'd been going at this for about a month when our story begins. Taker had been researching ways of sending Spooky and her ghostly Battalion to the afterlife, where they belonged. Doing it his usual way wasn't working for some weird reason. He wasn't having much success finding an alternative method, so much so that he was desperate enough to ask the blue-haired rebel herself if she had any ideas. As you could imagine, this didn't go very well.

Surprisingly enough though, this story doesn't start from a letter Taker sent me, oh no. Instead, it begins with a shrill, horrified scream which woke me up at 3:00 AM on the dot. I jumped so high into the air that my teeth fell together with a loud click when I landed back on my bed. Disoriented, I lay there in the darkness, shivering as I tried to puzzle out what the heck was going on.

Somewhere across the house, probably in the living room or kitchen, I could hear a muddled conversation. ONe of the voices was definitely my mom, probably the one who screamed. The other was masculine and sorta familiar, but I couldn't quite peg who it was. A few minutes later I hear her footsteps coming down the hall, followed by a knock on my bedroom door. "C'min," I mumble, still half asleep.

Mom opens the door, her body framed by the light in the hallway. "There's ... someone here to see you," she stammers, seeming a bit shocked and nervous. "Says he knows you from the mansion, says his name is ... Ron."

I groan a little bit. I thought in the corner of my mind something like this would happen soon, but I didn't think it would be Ron, or Inhabitant 11. The food demon had treated me decently since I'd managed to call him out in my dream, and during the whole rebellion against Spooky. But he'd always seemed mostly neutral about my existence as a whole, so I didn't think he, of all inhabitants, would be the one to visit me. Still it would be nice to talk to someone from the mansion in person, and I would like to know why he's here.

"Tell 'im I'll be out in a minute," I slurr. "Need to get dressed."

Mom just nods, and closes the door.

When I manage to get myself semi-presentable and drag my tired body into the living room, sure enough, there on the couch lounges a familiar red demon. "Heeey," He drawls, smirking. "Sure took you long enough."

It's nice to see you too, Ron." I say with a slight smile, before a big yawn takes me over. "hooooooooo-wum...I hope you have a good reason for waking me up and scaring the crap outa my mom."

"Oh, I do. In Taker's opinion, at least."

"Taker?" Suddenly, i'm a lot more awake. What about Taker? Did something happen? Is he in trouble?" i gasp. "Oh no. Spooky didn't escape, did she?"

"Oh, no. Nothing like that," Ron consoles, though I don't think he's used to doing it cause it comes out a bit funny sounding. He motions to the spot on the couch next to him. "Wy don'tcha sit down, and we'll discuss it."

Mom, still looking weirded out, makes to leave the room. "I'll leave you guys to that..."

"Bring us food, woman! Preferably beef!" Ron yells after her.

Maybe it's because I'm tired, or maybe it's simply the fact I don't appreciate my mother being talked to like a slave, but I'm in Ron's face before even I know what's happened. I'd forgotten about the intense heat he gives off, but it didn't stop me. "Don't talk to my mother that way." My voice is calm and relatively quiet, but there's an edge there that the demon definitely picks up on and thus relents. "Okay, okay, take it easy."

I revel in the fact that I'd just scared a demon before plopping down on the couch.

"So, this thing with Taker you speak of... what's it about?"

"Weeeeeell unfortunately the guy didn't give me all that many details, he never does. It's all business, all the time with him. 24-7, it's always 'Ron! Go get us some groceries!'And then he complains about me getting wheat bread instead of white bread. But how was I supposed to know that's what he wanted? Sure as hell wasn't because he told me. Or what about 'Ron, can you stop using my kitchen and use the one I gave to you?' Yeah, sure, because mine is soooo much better. Or the age old 'Ron! Please move your beef off of my desk! It's gotten blood all over my newspaper!' Seriously, can you **believe** this guy values crosswords over fresh meat? Seriously!"

It takes all my willlpower to hold bak a frustrated sigh. Apparently, the changes aren't going well for the food demon, and I feel like I might have been a little more sympathetic were it not for the fact that I was tired and grumpy. "Look man, I get that you're having a rough time, but I didn't get up at 3:00 AM to listen to someone complain. So could you please give me the info you **do** have?"

Ron huffs, but complies. "Fine. So apparently Taker has made some progress in getting rid of Spooky or he found something that'll help get rid of Spooky, I wasn't really listening."

 _Too busy thinking about how crappy your own life is no doubt,_ I think grumpily to myself, but decide not to say it aloud since all it would do was delay me from figuring out what was going on even further.

"either way, he wants you to help him with it and I'm here to pick you up. So are we going or what?"

"W-wait a minute, hold on, do we have to go like, now? Because I have school and... and other things."

"Hey don't blame me kid, I'm just the messenger."

I sigh, rub my eyes and stand up. I'm so tired that the room wobbles a bit around me, but eventually I get my barings. "Uh, Mom?" I call out, hoping she's not far away. thankfully she is still in the kitchen, and lumbers back into the living room. When our eyes meet, her gaze is one of knowing, and resignation.

"You have to go back, don't you?" She asks, voice low.

"Yeah," I grumble. "but I shouldn't be as long as I was last time, and it shouldn't be as dangerous seeing as I have like **tons** of supernatural entities on my side and—"

"It's okay." Mom interrupts, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I won't stop you; I can tell this is important."

"How?"

She shruggs. "Mommy magic?"

I can't help but giggle as Mom pulls me into a hug. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too Mom."

"Try to be back before Saturday. We're going to Dollywood, remember? And, I plan to get passes."

"Oh, yeah! " forgot about that. I still need to decide what i want to ride first. Swings? Scrambler? carousel? Rocking pirate ship? Oh, I know, let's do the Ferris wheel."

"nooooooo!" Mom shrieks playfully, covering her face with her hands. She has a terrible fear of heights; now that I think about it the abyss rooms in The Mansion would be terrible for her.

"ahem!" Ron's harsh throat clearing interrupts our fun, and I scowl at him before giving Mom another hug. "I'll be back in time, I promise."

"You'd better be, else I might have to extend your grounding. Bye deetle-deetle!"

"Bye, Mommy! agh!" I shriek, because suddenly I found myself being grabbed by a very impatient demon and phasing away, my mom's confused expression the last thing I see before I'm transported to what I assume to be another dimension.

* * *

"Ewww!" I moan in disgust at the warm squelchy meat beneath my bare feet. the stuff is all around us now, forming raw red tunnels that seem to be pulsating ever so slightly. "Is this... raw beef?"

"Indeed it is," Ron boasts, his mood having improved greatly after arriving here. "My meat tunnels are crafted with one hundred percent beef. the best way to travel!"

"That... is highly subjective. Yuck." I try hard not to puke and just focus on moving forward, eyes glued to Ron's back. One foot in front of the other, right, left, right, left. Don't think about the weird noises or the pulsing, don't think about when Nana made you put your hands into this stuff while making meatloaf which turned you off the food completely. Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't, don't, don't!"

"roooooon?"

"What?"

"Are we theeeeere yeeeeeet?"

"Oh, don't you **dare** start with that!"

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity but was probably only five minutes, our surroundings warped again and I found myself standing in the foyer of The Mansion. "Taker!" Ron shouted, startling Goopboy who was trying to learn how to use a hula hoop nearby. It fell to the floor, causing said slime monster to wheeze in annoyance. Don't know how he got into hula hooping, but props to him for trying to learn something new, I guess?

Ron, being the apathetic jerk that he is, ignored Goopboy's plight and continued shouting. "I've got a delivery for yoooooooou!"

"What is it?" An all too familiar voice asked, growing louder as Taker approached. "is it the shake and bake I asked for two weeks ago?"

"Uh, not quite."

It must have been at that moment that Taker saw me, with my messy hair, bloodstained yellow bathrobe, and an expression that said that I was completely done with everything. then: "Holy—"

"Watch it!" Ron snapped, not making the situation any better for himself in the long run.

"What the hell, Ron! What did you **do**?! Did you snatch her from her bed or sOmething?"

"No, not at all. It was completely consensual, honest!"

I decide that now might be a good time to intervene, so I try my best at a smile (though it probably looked more like a grimace) and mumble "Hi, Taker."

"Hello, zoe. I'm so sorry about this."

"Nah man, it's cool. but could I maybe have a place to get cleaned up?"

"and go back to sleep," He adds. "What I'm planning can wait for a more decent hour." He looks accusingly at Ron as he says this, who becomes indignant.

"What do you **mean**!? 3:00 AM is a **perfectly** decent hour!"

"for you and some other supernatural beingS, perhaps. Not at all for adolescent humans, much as some of them like to think otherwise..." He then turns to me again. "come on Zoe, I will show you to your rooms. You can clean up and get some rest while I have a talk with Ron."

Whatever irate response said demon had to that was lost to me, as I had already taken Taker's hand and was far away. It didn't sound nice, whatever it was.

* * *

I can't help but gawk at the incredible area Taker had made for me in the mansion for a while. It was done in bright yellows, blues and reds, my favorite colors! the bed was more of a huge fluffy nest than a bed, covered in various warm fluffy things. There were shelves full of books (mostly fantasy) toys, games and other cool stuff, a fridge filled with my favorite foods and drinks with a companion microwave, and even one room that was nothing but a gigantic trampoleen! But what I was most interested in at the moment was the hamper to put my dirty clothes in, and the large bathtub that was almost exactly like the one in the prefects' bathroom in Harry potter! But this one was all mine!

I had an amazing time getting myself cleaned up and playing with the bubbles and assorted tub toys, until the warmth of the water made me doze off. Not wanting to drown (how dumb would that be after my previous exploits here?) I climb out and allow the water to drain away. I then put on a soft pair of pajamas that seemingly appeared from nowhere, and snuggled into my nest. It was **heavenly**!

i think the feeling of just having a bath and then climbing into equally clean sheets is one of the best feelings in the world. With a huge smile on my face, I'm out like a light.

* * *

I'm smiling in almost the same way as I remember these events. It's very relieving to know that that's what happened, and I didn't get kidnapped or anything like that. Well if you don't count the incident with ron, anyway. And now, it's probably time to get up and see if I can find Taker. He probably wants to get started on whatever it is he wanted me for.

I stretch again, climbing out of the amazing bed. I don't bother making it as I don't really see a reason to, and instead look for some clothes.

I succeed in finding what looks to be a brand new pair of overalls and yellow t-shirt. _Ron must've been ran ragged getting all of this stuff,_ I think with a small laugh as I get changed. Once I've done that and ran a brush through my hair as well as other various morning toiletries (excluding makeup because I like the way I look naturally just fine) I'm finally ready to head out. As I stroll out of my lair, I wonder what's in store. What has taker found that he wanted my help with? guess there's only one way to find out...


	2. In Which A New Adventure Begins

Cailey jerked awake, clinging to her pillow. _Nightmares again,_ she thought grumpily to 'd thought they would go away after she had started seventh grade at last, but she supposed she just couldn't be that lucky.

A faint clattering in the distance caught the twelve-year-old's ear, and she subconsciously silenced herself, listening. It was probably one of her parents doing something in the other room, but on the slight chance that it was a robber or something, she would not be caught by them.

For a long while the girl lay in the darkness, tense and worried though she wouldn't admit it to herself. _I need to stop drinking so much coke before bed,_ she chided herself, and rolled over to go back to sleep. _Maybe that's what's causing these weird dreams._

As the girl's eyes slid shut, Cailey thought she saw a flicker of motion in the corner of her room, but chalked it up as a pre-sleep hallucination.

* * *

As I strolled out into the hall outside of my area, it soon became apparent that I had a huge problem on my hands. Since this place had been renovated since my last visit, and now had an entirely different purpose, I had no idea where anything was. _That includes where to find some breakfast,_ I realized with dismay as my stomach began to growl. The acoustics in the mansion were so strange that it caused the noise to be extremely amplified, sounding like there was some sort of monster nearby. I laughed, half-nervously and half amused, as i began to assess my options.

I could just go back and get food from my lair, but Taker was probably cooking something and wanted me to try it. He'd actually became quite the foodie now that he ate instead of consuming souls, which I was quite proud of him for. It was good that he had found another way to sustain himself, and another thing we could discuss.

Fortunately I didn't need to think for much longer, as a noise caught my attention. A feminine voice humming a cheerful tune, growing louder as its owner approached. I knew who that was.

"Ringu!" I said, waving at the ghost teen as she approached. "Whoa, what happened to you? You look different."

And she did. She wore a lime green t-shirt with something written in Japanese on it, and a pair of ripped jeans. Her long black hair was now combed, and tied back in a high ponytail with a scrunchy the same color as her shirt. She had cleaned the blood from her face, replacing it with very light makeup. If not for the fact that she was translucent, floating a few feet above the ground, and had teeth and skin like a vampire, she could pass as a living human teenager.

"Hello, Zoe!" She waved back, her claws now covered in glittery red nail Polish rather than blood. "thanks. I figured it could be nice to put on something more casual now that I don't need to go to school anymore... and try some present-day fashions."

"You look really good, like you're about to head to the mall with your friends only to indulge yourself at the food court the whole time."

She giggles. "that does sound nice; better than standing around staring at clothes I can't afford. That reminds me, I was just headed to breakfast. Are you going as well?"

"Yeah." I confirm, my stomach affirming the statement with loud, needy gurgles. "but I'm afraid I don't know the way. Things have changed a lot since I was last here, y-know."

She nods understandingly. "Believe me, I've been here the whole time yet it's still completely astounding. Come on, I will show you the way."

I follow Ringu through a pretty confusing route until finally, we reach our destination. It's a quite cozy room with a large round wooden table taking up most of the space. Ron, The Deerlord, and a ghost of a guy wearing a top hat are sitting around it, waiting in anticipation for Taker to finish up whatever he is cooking for them in the kitchen area behind the table. Whatever it is is sizzling and smells great, like some kind of meat with spices and other additives in it.

Ringu greets them all, and joins them at the table. I'm about to do the same, when a weird buzzing noise catches my ear, barely audible over the sounds of Taker's cooking which is why I didn't notice it at first. I turn towards the noise, which is coming from a large cage in the far corner of the room. The bars seem to gleam menacingly in a sparking purple glow, reflecting oddly off the translucent figured curled in the fetal position in the very center. I step toward it cautiously, trying to get a better look at the cage's occupant. I gasp when I realize that they have long blue hair, though it's a lot more untamed then when I last saw it. Still, there's no doubt who this was.

"Spooky?!"

Said ghost girl slowly raises her head to meet my gaze, dark eyes filled with... something. I can't quite tel what it is.

"Oh, it's you." She mutters, voice kept at a monotone. She's trying to hide her emotions, but it doesn't take a psychiatrist to tel that she is pissed. Not that I blame her, of course. I mean, I did kinda sorta destroy **everything** she was working for. But like I had a super good reason for it, okay? Namely: **saving the entire friggin world!**

"So uh, I'm guessing you're not doing so hot since the whole thing that happened last time we met."

"Oh, wow. Little Miss Seer over here."

I decide not to address the fact that I was quite a bit older than Spooky and instead said, "You're not good at sarcasm. Leave that to us, K?"

She didn't answer, something that I was completely fine with. I turn around and head towards the table, pretending that the captive ghost wasn't there. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea, accept for Taker, who stared straight at her as he slowly placed the food onto the table. How'd he do that without bumping into anything?

"Good morning Zoe," He said as I plopped into my seat and began making myself a plate. "How did you like your area?"

"Oh, it was awesome! Not even in the best lucid dreams did I come up with something as cool as that." I then glance up at Spooky once again, who was moodily picking at a piece of burnt toast. "I see that Spooky is also joining us for breakfast this morning," I attempt to mention casually, earning a scowl from said ghost girl. She tries to throw her toast at me but it bounces off her cage and smacks her in the face, even more charred than before. So much so that it can barely be called toast anymore; it's now just a square of bitter, black... stuff.

"Indeed." Taker motions towards the cage, smirking. "In fact, that cage is the very same one that held **me** once."

"Whoa. NOw that, my friends, is karma at its finest." I dig into my plate and chow down, ignoring Spooky's attempts at eating her square of bitter black stuff, as well as the way The Romantic Victim is smiling at me... ugh. The stuff Taker made is truly delicious, filled with flavors that mix and play along the tongue just nicely. Ron is pretending to be unimpressed, going on about "It's not as good as **my** beef," but I can tell he's enjoying it.

"I'll save the rest of mine for my children," The Deerlord announces. "They usually do not care for cooked meats, but I feel they will take exception to this."

I'm just about to complement the chef as well, when the door slams open and a guy in his forties runs in. He is breathing heavily, and covered in sweat and some sort of black oozy stuff. I rack my brain trying to remember who this is, then jolt up in my seat like I've just been electrocuted. Fortunately my hair does not follow in this example.

"Garry?! What happened to you!"

The x-GL Labs worker shrugs. "Oh, y'know the usual. Opened a door I hadn't noticed before, huge tentacle monster was behind it that I presume was meant to be a specimen, it attacked me— no not in that way get your mind outa the gutter, barely escaped with my life, just ordinary stuff around here."

"Wha?" I stammer. "I was 't thinking that at all, no not a bit. And neither was anyone else, right you guys?"

Everyone went dead silent. Taker finally spoke up. "Where is this alleged tentacle monster now?"

"I trapped it in a holding cel—" Before he could continue explaining, there was a loud screech and thumping noises from somewhere. It sounded, well, the closest comparison I could give you would probably be The Devil and his bride on their honeymoon. Due to the weird acoustics of this place I couldn't tell where exactly it came from, but Garry seemed worried. "Damn! If I had a dollar for every time someone told Miss Psycho over there that we needed better holding cells..."

Miss Psycho just smirks, crumbling her square of bitter black stuff in her fist, allowing it to flutter oh so gently to the formerly pristine cage floor.

"I'll take care of it," Ron grumbles and begins to stand.

"Oh no you won't. **You** will stay here and wash the dishes, **I** will take care of this."

"Oh, come on!" Ron huffs, and I try not to linger too long on why he's so disappointed. Instead I focus on finishing my food, deciding that this isn't worth losing my appetite over. Garry plops himself down on the seat Ron was sitting in, putting the remaining food on his plate. Ringu scowls at him, but other than that no one protests his actions. I do kinda wish he'd of washed his hands first though, that slime could be poisonous, you never know.

"So," I begin. "Besides being assaulted by Eldridge horrors, how's life been for you since the rebellion?"

Garry's lips curl upward as he chews. "Compared to before? Incredible. Now I'm only put in life threatening situations once a week rather than once an hour, and the food's great. I haven't been able to look for my family since none of us besides Ron can leave, and I haven't asked the food demon for obvious reasons. If they're still around, I don't wanna bother them with this nonsense."

"If they're still aro—" A thought suddenly crosses my mind, and my curiosity gets the better of me. "You've been here a lot longer than should be possible, haven't you?"

Garry sighs with a weariness that's only found in humans who have lived longer than they aught. "As far as I can tell, yes. There's something very strange about this place, in that time doesn't work quite the same way."

I nod. "Yeah, i noticed. Last time I was here it felt like three days, but Mom said it was only one. Pretty trippy, but missing one schoolday is **a lot** better than missing three."

"If the workload is as high as it was in my time, I'd imagine so."

"Knowing school, it's probably even higher."

"I didn't enjoy school that much when I went either," Ringu interjects. Wow, I'd almost forgotten that she and The Deerlord were here. "So it was a real shame I was forced to haunt one, or a mode of one, for so long."

"Really? Is that why you ate the kids that snuck back in?"

she scoffs. "that story was not real. I thought you knew that."

"Well I suspected it, but I also thought it had simply been translated."

Ringu scoffs again, but doesn't reply.

Minutes later we were all done with our food, and Taker had returned from dealing with the tentacle monster. He seemed to be in less of a good mood then when he went. "How'd it go?"

"It's been taken care of," He responded simply.

"Cool." I burp, adding my dirty dishes to the growing pile in the sink. Ron glares at me while I do so, but I pay him no mind. "Now that was a good breakfast. Good, but pretty dang eventful. So eventful that you haven't told me why you wanted me here yet."

"Right."

We sit back down at the table, and Taker begins to explain while Ringu, Garry and The Deerlord head out in pursuit of further activities and Ron begins moodily scrubbing at the dishes. "As you already know, due to the way The Mansion was created, i am connected to it. There is not a thing that goes on that I am not aware of, or at least, that is how it **should** be."

"Really?"

"There is a large area in the floors below that, for some reason, I cannot feel at all. There is simply a large impenetrable gap there, that my senses cannot get through."

"Ah, i think I understand what you're planning. We're gunna go explore this area directly, aren't we?"

"Correct."

I smile. "Awesome! Another adventure. When will we be going?"

"As soon as you are ready."

"Great. Then I'll head to my lair real quick and see if I can find anything worth bringing." I'm just about to exit the room, when I am stopped once again.

"Wait a moment, Zoe, there is something I'd also like to discuss."

I don't bother stopping myself from sighing. "Fine Ron, but make it quick. I'm kinda busy here."

He takes a deep breath. "You know your mom?"

"Yes I know my mother; I came out of my mother. What about my mother?"

Another deep breath. And then... "She's hot."

At this moment, my entire multiverse ceased to make sense. The only thing I could possibly compare it to would be Hitler finding out that he's from a long line of Jews. Time froze. And then...

"What the **hell!** What the actual hell, Ron! I-I must have earwax built up in my ears from wearing my AirPods too much."

"You heard me."

"No, nononono I didn't! I didn'T! Th-there's just no way! Like, I thought you said that you think my mom's hot." I laugh like a dying hyena. "L-like could you imagine?"

"I could, because that's exactly what I said."

It takes all my effort not to lose my breakfast. "Oh what, and you want advice on how to woo her?"

"something like that, yes."

"No." I say flatly, and start to turn away.

"What, am I not good enough?"

"Yes, and also I do not want you as my stepdad. NO, not in an infinite amount of millennium."

"Oh shit didn't think about that," He mutters,then addresses me again. 'okay kid, what is it about me that makes me so detestable?"

No, no, no! I am **not** having this conversation right now. This... this is worse than anything Spooky ever committed, much worse! Speaking of which, even **she** seems incredibly uncomfortable by this turn of events as she has returned to her fetal position. She's also shuttering slightly, but whether she's laughing, or crying, or just shaking, or all of the above it's impossible to tell.

"Is it because I'm never there? I'll bet it's because I'm never there. Tell ya what, kid." Then, I find myself holding some sort of business card. I have no clue how i got it, so broken am I by this traumatic experience. "Just read what's written on the back of that three times, and I'll be there."

"Wha... messed up... you... I can't..." unable to form a coherent sentence I just shove the stupid thing into a pocket of my overalls I use the least and get the heck outa there, faster than I'd ever ran from a specimen before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never intended for this chapter to be so long in the making, but first came writer's block, then came Little Nightmares 2, then came boatloads of schoolwork... I'm a mess right now, an honest to gosh mess.


	3. In which New Mysteries Are Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason for the long waits between chapters of this fic are because I'm having a very hard time finding info about the DLC of this game. I can't play it myself because I'm blind and also don't have a computer, so I'm going off what little scraps of detail I can find on the wiki and then embellishing it. So if you guys know some stuff that happens during this part of the game that you want to see in this fic, then please let me know. Otherwise the version of Karamari Hospital in this fic will probably look nothing like the original.

_No Zoe, you can't bring the deluxe box set of The Unwanteds series on your adventure,_ the rational part of my mind chastised.

 _Of course i can!_ The rest of it wined. _And besides, I might_ _ **need**_ _it, you never know!_

 _Okay, let me rephrase that,_ the rational part continued. _Zoe, you_ _ **shouldn't**_ _bring it with you. You don't have a backpack to haul your crap around this time, remember? You can only take what you can reasonably carry in your overalls, and even though they do have more space then your typical clothes, especially womens' clothes gah who ever came up with the idea of fake pockets should be given to Spooky so she can have her fun with them. oh wait, what was i thinking about again?_

I clench my teeth in frustration and turn my attention away from the brand spanking new books, not even bothering to replace them on the shelf. I know if I do that, I'll just hold on to them and never let go. Now, what to take, what to take.

My eyes land on a sketchbook with red yellow and blue swirls on the cover. It has glitter on it so it's nice and shiny, but not enough to shed and get everywhere. Yeah, I could definitely take that, it's perfect for noting the new stuff we find, or just drawing cutesy versions of it. My trusty box of crayons would go as well; it's the same one I'd used last time. It was still fairly new, so I didn't see the point in moving on to a new one just yet.

I also took a spare change of underwear. Nothing had happened for me to need it, yet, but I would not be underprepared. This pair of panties was quite the sight though, it was pink and covered in rainbow unicorns in various prancey, self-important looking poses. "If you're trying to embarrass me Ron, it's not working," I mutter as I shove the offending garment into a pocket. "It's not like anyone's gunna **see** me wearing it or anything since it's under the rest of my clothes."

Speaking of Ron, i pull the business card he'd given me earlier from my pocket, and contemplated what i should do with it. The temptation to be rid of the cursed thing was extremely strong. All I'd need to do was flush it down the toilet, or throw it down a vent, or simply chuck it in the trash and I'd never see it again. But, I got the feeling the food demon would know if I did that; it would be just like him to throw in some voodoo magic dark curse shenanigans with his business practices. He'd already done so once before with McBeefies, the restaurant he saved and then ran into the ground due to all the employees and customers going mad with beef fever... or something. So I decided I would keep it for now. After all, Ron might actually be able to help us with whatever we were about to face, though i doubted it. And besides, he never said I had to agree to his sickening proposal even if he did make himself useful. So meh, whatever, the card stays... for now.

I shove it back into its place and grab a couple other odds and ends before heading out. As much as I tried it was impossible for me to resist bringing a deck of uno cards, a super bouncy ball, a music box, a bacon scented candle and a fidget spinner along for the ride. I tried to specify it by telling myself that I felt a gut feeling that they'd be useful later, but that was uttter bullcrap and I knew it. Ah well, at least i still had room for the stuff that was actually useful.

As I continued heading back towards where I thought the dining room was, I started to hear voices in the distance. As quietly as I could, I tiptoed towards the door the sound was coming from, and peeked inside.

It was the dining room, which was relieving. But something pretty darn intriguing was going on in there. Taker was pacing, looking very agitated. Spooky sat on her knees in the cage, following the clay guy's movements like a seasoned predator. She let out a long sigh, attempting to look cool and relaxed, but in all actuality, she looked like she was constipated. "Oh, Specimen ," She purred. "Like I said before, you really can't afford to be cocky."

"Why not?" Taker challenged, meeting the girl's eyes determinedly. "I have won. You have lost. I have **all** the bragging rights now."

Spooky just laughs. **"Zoe** won, you were just along for the ride."

"How d—"

"Not only that, but none of this would have happened at all if she wasn't in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or uh, the **right** place at the right time, or you were in the wrong place at the wrong t-whatever the case may be it was **completely by accident** that any of this stuff happened **at all!** So like, don't go pretending like you're some great hero or something, cuz uh... you and me? We both know that's not why you joined her."

I subconsciously move a little closer. Despite Spooky's awkward delivery, her words hold an undeniably sinister undertone that I immediately want to know the reason behind. Taker seems to know already, because he goes completely motionless eliciting a giggle from the ghost girl.

"Y-you" Wow, I've **never** heard Taker stutter before. Whatever Spooky knows, or **thinks** she knows, it must seriously be bothering him.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" He finishes, in a rush.

"do I?" Spooky asks lowly. "I saw the way you looked at her before, Specimen 9. When when you and her, y'know, first met? Now i will give you a teeny bit of credit, since you like, haven't done that for a while, but before? You looked at her just like all the others. Like you fully intended on ki—"

"P-choo!" The explosion of a sneeze comes before I can stop it, and both supernaturals' gazes fall on me. I giggle sheepishly as I fully enter the room, not bothering to wipe the snot from my hot face. "Oh, uh, hi! I can explain, but I won't. Because then I'd have to either lie or tell you I was eavesdropping-ah!' I clamp my hands over my face, successfully smearing the snot all over the place. I lick it off while my face is still covered. Thankfully it just tastes salty, without the almost cheesy quality it gets when I'm sick. So this was just a sneeze caused by someone talking about me, no doubt Spooky and Taker.

"Well, at least she's honest about it," Spooky chirps, oddly cheerfully. It must be because they had been discussing something that Taker wasn't going, or at least not ready, to share with me.

"How much did you hear?" Taker asks, a definite tinge of dread to his tone.

"Not much," I say honestly. "and whatever it is, it's okay if you don't wanna share it. I get it." I realize my hands are still over my face, making my voice a bit muffled. I remove them and wipe the remaining residue on my overalls. "anyway, are you ready to go?"

"Yes," Taker replies, his voice practically **embodying** the word 'relief.' "We will need to take the elevator."

the last thing I saw before leaving the room was Spooky's pouting expression. Too bad for her.

* * *

"Cailey? Caaaaaaileeeeeeeey, I know you're in theeeeeeeeeeere."

Cailey groaned as her body slowly woke itself up, guided back to the waking world by the familiar voice of the kid knocking at her bedroom door.

"Mmmph," She groaned, rolling over.

The person outside her room was not deterred, however, and just kept on knocking. "Come oooooooon Cailey-Wailey, we're gunna be late if you don't get up."

"Do' caaaaaare," Cailey moaned in response, and immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say. The door opened with such force that it nearly came off its hinges, and a streak of bouncing pink and purple known as Beverly Morgan leapt into the room, pulling the still half asleep girl from her bed in one fluid motion. "Hey!" She protested, but her best (and only) friend was not swayed in the least from tossing a dress and some shoes her way.

"Get dressed." Beverly barked, eyeing Cailey sternly from behind their glasses. "There's a bagel calling my name."

"Couldn't you have just went and gotten it yourself?" Cailey questioned, irritably beginning to do as her friend had asked.

"Yes," They conceded. "But it always tastes better when **you** make it for me."

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

Cailey eventually finished her morning toiletries and followed her friend's head of springy hot pink curls into the kitchen. Her mother sat at the table, typing away on her ancient laptop while nursing a considerably cooled cup of black coffee. She acknowledged the kids with a tight-lipped smile as they walked past. "Thanks for getting Cailey out of bed, Bev. I swear, if I had a dollar for every time that girl forgot to set her alarm..."

"Hey!" Cailey protested. "I'm right here y'know."

'Oh, i know. But you really do need to start setting your alarm. Your dad and I didn't buy you that clock for it to just sit in the bottom of a basket filled with dirty laundry."

"I know, Mom, I know."

Cailey pulled a rubber band from her wrist and began twisting her platinum blond hair into a high ponytail wile she waited for Bev's bagel to finish toasting so she could smother it in peanut butter, and normal butter, before giving it to her friend. Even after all these years, she still couldn't understand how they could not only eat a bagel like that, but **enjoy** it.

Beverly practically yanked it from Cailey's hands once she'd brought it to the dining room. "Ah, my breakfast," They purr, trying to sound like a posh aristocrat. "Just in time."

"You know I still don't believe you when you say it tastes better when I do it," the blond mutters as she fixes herself a bowl of cereal.

"And I'm still gunna say it just does," Her friend replied from the other room in between bites.

Not too long later the two were bundled in light jackets, making their way to school. they'd used to take the bus, but that was more trouble than it was worth so they'd opted to walk together instead.

"Bad dreams again?" Bev asked softly, intertwining their manicured fingers with Cailey's. Their nails were so often covered in glittery purple nail polish that if Cailey didn't know bettter, she would say her fingers were that way naturally. Same with their hair, was there even actually a time when it **wasn't** pink?

Cailey nodded, dark eyes downcast. "I just don't understand why they won't go away! Like, why can't they just leave me alone?"

Bev sighed, their expression gloomier than the grey skies above. "I guess these things just take time," She mutters. "but eh, we're outa that toxic environment now, hopefully, so once you start being less stressed they should stop."

"That's the thing—" A sudden rumble of thunder interrupted Cailey's explanation, causing both children to jump then pick up the pace. Neither one of them wanted to be caught in a storm as they weren't wearing raincoats and hadn't packed them either.

"This dream wasn't about **that,** not this time."

Beverly quirked an eyebrow, making a curious noise.

"Yeah." Cailey confirmed. "But... I don't actually remember what it was. I just uh, remember it wasn't about... about that."

"Do you? Or do you just not wanna tell me?"

No, no!" Cailey wrapped an arm around her best friend in a side hug. "I'd never do that to you Bev, honestly! I really don't remember."

"I believe you. Just remember, you don't have to tell me something if you don't want to. I get it."

And it was at that moment that whatever restraint the sky had vanished in an instant, and the kids were both soaking wet in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, crap!"


End file.
